POLARISED SPORTS CARS
While reborn TVR is bringing back old-school glory, newcomer Polestar is moving forward with hybrid performance
SO HOW OLD-SCHOOL IS THAT TVR?
The new owners of the British sports car specialist want to revive the TVR brand and retain its core values, including svelte design, minimalist interior, lightweight body and driving fun.
The packaging concept is the usual front-engine, rear-drive matrix. But rather than adopting a novel name for the revival, the new sports car is called Griffith, last used 15 years ago.
The Griffith gets a 5.0l naturally aspirated V8 from Ford and tuned by Cosworth; the last Griffith saw a similarly sized eight-pot from Rover. TVR says the Griffith has a power-to-weight ratio of 400hp per tonne and tips the scales at just 1,250kg. That translates into a power output of 500hp. The light body is courtesy of a carbon fibre chassis, plus body panels and structure made from carbon composites.
TVR adds that the Griffith is capable of cracking the 0-100kph sprint within four seconds and has a top speed in excess of 320kph. The sole transmission choice is a six-speed manual driving just the rear wheels. And combine that with a non-turbo V8 and classic front-engine/rear-drive matrix, the Griffith is the old-school sports car of choice.
AND HOW NEW AGE IS THAT, ERRM, VOLVO?
First and foremost, it’s not really a Volvo. That’s because Volvo has made Polestar a new stand-alone brand highlighting electrification for the future.
With styling inspired from the 2012 Volvo Concept Coupe, the so-called 1 is built upon Volvo’s SPA platform. However, the 1 is 4.5m long — around half-a-metre shorter than the current S90 saloon, which also is underpinned by the SPA floor plan. The use of carbon fibre bits in the 1’s body has helped to reduce weight by 230kg and contributes to a 45% higher level of torsional rigidity.
The 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine produces 380hp and drives the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic. But with two 110hp electric motors driving the wheels, the 1 is essentially all-wheel drive. And when engaged into Power mode, total output comes to 600hp.
The plug-in system know-how is borrowed from the T8 models of the XC90, XC60 and S90. However, the 1 has a longer electric-only driving range of 150km. Volvo hasn’t mentioned the 1’s performance figures. But with the 407hp S90 T8 capable of dispatching the 0-100kph in less than 5sec, you can expect this Polestar to be equally as quick as the TVR.
What makes it new age is the 1’s ability to also perform its strut in CO2-less fashion. Plus, the driver is treated with an easier two-pedal driving experience and all-wheel-drive security.
CAN THEY REALLY SELL IN THAILAND?
TVR will initially concentrate on the European markets especially the British one. In order for the Griffith to appeal elsewhere, like in Asia or North America, an automatic gearbox would be essential.
First deliveries of the Griffith are scheduled for late 2018 with prices starting from some 13 million baht if sold in Thailand. Aside its rather lofty price, TVR isn’t represented in the country. And even it was, the manual gearbox is already another hindrance to its sales success here.
A novelty for the Polestar business, meanwhile, is that cars will only be available for sales online and on a subscription basis. Deliveries of it will be made via selected Volvo dealers. Pricing of the 1 has yet to be disclosed.
The 1 goes into production at Volvo’s facility in China in mid-2019 with annual capacity pegged at 500. The bad news for Thai fans is that the 1 will only be made in left-hand drive.
All said and done, both TVR and Polestar don’t really stand a chance of selling well in Thailand in their current states of tune, although some diehard fans could probably accept their shortcomings (like taking the Polestar’s helm from the left side of the car or dipping the TVR’s clutch pedal in traffic jams).
But sometimes it’s nice to see how two different types of sports cars are coexisting at a time when automotive technology is making its crossroads.